Mash it up for Links

There has been a lot of buzz around the word "mashup" lately. In case you’re unfamiliar with the word, Wikipedia defines it as a website or application that combines content from more than one source into an integrated experience. An example of a common use would be a local, region based website that combines Google Maps with local business reviews.

Mashups are a great way to improve the usability of your website because you’re ideally offering something of value to your users. But mashups are also great for link building because the good ones are highly viral.

Mashups aren’t limited to websites and don’t always require programming either. A couple of weeks ago someone mashed up Apple’s famous 1984 Super Bowl commercial into a Barack Obama ad.

The video has spread like a wildfire. It has been viewed over four million times, featured on every news station in the country, and has managed to collect thousands of inbound links. Not bad for a mashup that someone created on a Sunday afternoon.